


bounty - d.d

by YenneferXGeralt



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-08
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:09:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22176091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YenneferXGeralt/pseuds/YenneferXGeralt
Summary: The Mandalorian has been tasked with finding an enemy of the Empire, Asara Ando, a blind rogue who had been fleeing her persecution since the fall of the Empire. Another simple job. However, this particular bounty stirs something in the Mandalorian, and he finds himself questioning his own morals...and his code.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Din Djarin - Relationship, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV) & Original Character(s), The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Character, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 33





	1. tatooine.

Din silently entered the dilapidated room. The constant haze of Tatooine seeping in through the numerous holes and craters in the pale wall. The room itself was empty and barren, save for a bedroll and a small table filled with food. One lone figure sat facing the wall, shrouded in a grey cloak.

“I suppose you are a bounty hunter?” The figure asked, still facing the wall. “Here to collect the price on my head?” Din remained silent. “Am I wrong?” The figure turned, face illuminated by a shaft of light which entered the room. It was unmistakably her. If her striking beauty was not enough, her eyes gave it away. They were a murky grey, a long scar lashed right across them, now faded and a pale pink in colour. Din had looked at her puck more often than he would like to admit.

“No. You are not.” Din spoke after a moment, slowly stepping into the room. He did not seem to understand how such a gentle looking female would be so sought after in the galaxy.

The woman hummed, a sad smile graced her face as she thought for a moment. “Very well.” She said after a moment, rising to stand. Din drew his blaster and aimed out of instinct. “I shall not fight you, Mandalorian.” Her words shocked said man, halting him in his place. She chuckled at this. “I can tell from your armour. Not many have I encountered who adorn such noisy metal.” She walked closer to him, until she was directly in front of him, his blaster still pointed at her. “Though you are a Foundling.” She informed, gently reaching her hand out and lowering his blaster. Din was too enamoured by her to resist. “Your voice. It is different. Not that of a Mandalorians. Not that I’ve met many in my time.” She lightly jested. “Anyway, you have a job to do.” She said, pulling her hand away. “I shan’t resist you, Mandalorian.” 

He watched as she held her wrists in front of him, no sign of anger or resistance on her face. She simply stared blankly ahead, straight through him. Still slightly in shock from her deductions, he remained silent as he placed the metallic brackets over her wrists. She inhaled as they tightened to fit her wrists but remained stoic as Din gently grabbed her shoulder and moved her infront of him. “Walk.” He uttered out, pushing her back with his blaster. His hand remained on her shoulder as to lead her out. She complied, leaving the empty room without hesitation.

The two emerged from the hut, the hot suns reigning down their heat as they sank in the sky. “Asara?” Claura, an elderly woman who lived in the hut adjacent to the young woman called from her window, watching as she was led by the mysterious Mandalorian.

“Do not worry, Claura.” Asara soothed, still walking to wherever Din was leading her. “I thank you for your kindness, but this is goodbye.” Claura could only watch as her silhouette grew smaller and smaller against the darkening sky. “Your ship. How far is it?” She asked after at least thirty minutes of walking. 

“Not too far.” Din eventually replied. “Why?” He asked cautiously, readjusting the blaster against her back.

“No reason.” She quipped. “It is just that Jawas like to scavenge the plains outside the settlements. Your ship would be quite easy pickings if it is any further than this.” Din halted, pulling on Asara’s shoulder roughly. Her smirk made him uneasy as he took out his gun aiming towards his ship which resided in the valley approaching. Low and behold, a hollow carcass of his ship lay dormant.

“Damnit!” He hissed, throwing his gun to the ground in his fury. Asara could only stand and try to hide her amusement, although she failed miserably. “Where are they? Where do they go?” He demanded. 

“I do not know where they go, Mandalorian. I cannot exactly watch their path now, can I?” Asara chuckled. Din felt his face flush in embarrassment. “They will have gone far away from here. They are nomads. They do not stay in one place for too long.” She explained after she sensed his rising anger. “Perhaps they have left something salvageable.” She proposed, leading to Din grabbing her arm and pulling her back on his intended path.

They soon reached the carcass. Din’s face falling as he inspected the emptiness of his ship. Asara stood and listened as he walked through its entirety, his footsteps clanging against the metal floor. He let out a growl of frustration, returning back to Asara’s side. “You know where they go. Don’t lie to me.”

“I have already been compliant with you, Mandalorian. Why would I lie to you to prolong the inevitable? You have found me and you have captured me. That is that. The circumstances that you get yourself in due to your own stupidity have nothing to do with me.” Din gritted his teeth at her words. “If you want your parts back, good luck. But wandering the plains on foot is a death wish, and I’d much rather prefer to be killed with dignity than a Massiff or Bantha.”

Din ignored her words, instead grabbing her elbow and dragging her in the direction of the tracks. “We are finding the Jawa.” He deadpanned.

“Did you listen to a word I just said? It is a death wish I-”

“I heard what you said. But I am not going to be stuck on this blasted planet any longer than what I have to be.” He cut her off, continuing to pull her along.

“The suns are setting. The desert is more dangerous at night. Let us at least rest here until dawn.” She insisted, resisting for the first time since he arrived. Her heels dug into the hard ground, her arm pulling Din to a stop. “I ask you to trust me, bounty hunter, or else pay with your life. This is no ruse. I am trying to help you.” She said, no humour in her voice. All previous serenity and light-heartedness dispersed from her person, her eyes seemed to pierce through his. 

After a moment Din sighed, slightly distorted by his helmet. “Fine. We will camp here for tonight. But as soon as dawn rises-”

“Yes, yes, we will go find your parts.” She dismissed, walking back over to the ship. Din watched in curiosity as she seemed to be entirely aware of her spatial field, stepping over various rocks that obstructed her path. He only decided to join her once she sat herself down against a particularly large boulder. “You should get some form of fire going. Some of your remaining ship parts would probably work.” Din rolled his eyes at her suggestion but complied as he fished out any remaining flammable parts.

He tossed the pile in front of Asara and took out his micro-probe, igniting the small pile with one bright spark. It took immediately, the warmth emitting and hitting the two who sat around it. Din allowed himself to relax slightly, sat across from Asara against a boulder of his own. 

“Do you know why there is a bounty on my head?” Asara broke the silence, eyes facing the warm fire. The suns had set and the sky turned into a dark blue.

Din didn’t reply for a few moments, debating if he even should. “No.” He finally answered. Asara hummed in thought.

“Interesting.” She said in genuine surprise. “Tell me, is that because you do not care to know of the reasons the people you give to Death are wanted for or are you just not interested in current affairs?”

“I’m interested in my payment.” He cut with a harsh tone, not liking to dwell on his profession. He had no remorse when it came to these things, right?

“Typical bounty hunter.” Asara laughed with a shake of her head. “Such questionable morals.”

“Might I remind you, your bounty is dead or alive.” Din warned, growing tired of her insults.

“Is that supposed to scare me, Mandalorian?” Asara laughed once more, this time mocking and provoking. “Might I remind you that me being alive will result in a bigger payment. That is all you are interested in after all.” She quipped. 

“You seem to know an awful lot about the price on your own head.” 

“How could I not? It’s all I’ve had to think about for the past two years.” She dwelled for a moment before speaking again. “I suppose that is the price for vengeance.” Din couldn’t help but be intrigued, something, unbeknownst to him, Asara could sense. She let the air of mystery sit for a moment, ensnaring Din in her every word it would seem, her nature enigmatic. “But, what do you care? You aren’t here for stories. You’re here for your reward. So, goodnight, Mandalorian.” She dismissed, settling down against the boulder, her head resting on her arm. She couldn’t help but smile as she felt Din’s annoyment at the lack of information. She had got him, she thought to herself. Without another word, Din settled too, closing his eyes as the fire roared.

Panic was the first thing that struck him when he opened his eyes. Asara was nowhere to be seen. The fire was now nothing but a pile of ash and the sun had already begun to rise. He sat up, hands reaching for his gun only to find it gone. She had escaped, and with his only weapon. He bolted up and frantically searched inside his ship; empty. He stopped to look for tracks but found nothing, no trace of-

“What are you doing?” A voice asked from behind him, making him jump out of his skin. Asara tried to hide her amusement, facing the ground as she held in her laughter with a grin. “Here.” She said with a chuckle, handing him a slab of meat, her hands still bound. “It’s Bantha. There was a small herd not too far from here this morning.” She explained, returning to her boulder casually. “I went off to find some Nirn for flavour but it’s usually quite sparse around these parts. Oh, your gun is behind that boulder by the way.” She said, pointing to the rock on his right. 

Din stared in astonishment at how nonchalant she was about the entire ordeal. “You caught a Bantha? And cooked it? With your hands bound? All whilst I was asleep?” He asked for reassurance.

“Yes. That’s what I just said.” She said with a raised eyebrow before she brought her own slab to her mouth and began to eat. "Although it would have been much easier if my hands weren't bound." After processing what she told him, Din finally returned to his spot, gingerly picking apart the meat. “It’s not poisoned.” She said, reading his thoughts entirely. “Just eat it.” Din complied, relishing in the tenderness of the meat. “And if you’re wondering how I caught it, just because I have no sight does not mean I lack the ability to hunt. There are other senses involved, you know?” Din remained silent, continuing to lift pieces of meat under his helmet to chew on.

“Were you-” Din cleared his throat. “Were you born-” He couldn’t get the words out, not wanting to sound rude. Ironic, considering this was the woman whom he was sending to her own demise.

“Born blind? No.” She chuckled at his awkwardness. “No, I was not born this way. In fact, it has been only a matter of two years since,” she gestured to her face haphazardly. “I used to be able to see the sun rise and sun set, the faces of my friends and family. The ocean. Now that I loved, ” She reminisced, closing her eyes at the thought. “I saw the oceans of Quila once. That was a sight to behold.” Din remained silent as she let her reimagine the memories.

“How did it happen?” He finally allowed himself to ask the question he had been holding back.

“The Empire.” She said with distaste; short and blunt. She let it ring out for a moment before she stood, dusting off her trousers and cloak with her conjoined hands. “Come on, if you want to find these Jawas we best set off whilst there’s light.” And thus the conversation ended.

The two trudged next to each other for hours, the desert heat relentless, though neither complained. Din was still surprised at how easily she walked, following his every step as if she could see before her. It made him want to ask more. If she had only been sightless for two years how was she so skilled at spatial awareness? How long had she been in Tatooine?

"If you have something to say just say it." She interrupted his train of thought, making him jump slightly. He was beginning to get unnerved at how easily she could read him. 

"I don’t.”

Asara let the silence settle for a few moments before she answered his thoughts. “I haven’t been on Tatooine long. Not since I was young at least. I grew up here, a long time ago.” She began. “I came back a few months ago after my position in Chandrila was compromised by...your kind.” Din was about to retaliate but Asara quickly interfered. “Bounty hunters. Not Mandalorians. I have nothing against your religion.” 

Din hummed at this, glad that his preconceptions of her were not false. His preconceptions being that she was far from cruel. In fact, Din was having a hard time putting a crime to Asara’s face. So far she had been so willing and...kind. She could have abandoned him that morning, stalked back to her hut, gathered her things and fled like she had done so many times before. Instead, she returned with food for him.

“How did you know that’s what I was going to ask?” Din finally responded, watching as the corner of her lips quirked up momentarily.

“Just a guess.” She smirked to herself. “I have a question for you, Mandalorian.” Din tensed up at her words but remained silent as a way to urge her to go on. “Your helmet. Do you keep it on all the time? I mean, when you sleep or eat?” 

“No. Not all the time.” He replied, somewhat reluctantly. The small chit chat with a bounty prize was beginning to make him feel strange, as if they were merely companions travelling together; not that he had ever experienced that before. “I just don’t take it off in front of others.”

“Is that because you cannot show your face to others?” She asked again, gently it would seem, as if she wasn’t trying to pry. 

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” She hummed aloud. “I suppose you won’t have that problem with me.” She jested lightly. Underneath his helmet the Mandalorian smiled to himself. Only a small one, but a smile. He couldn’t remember the last time someone made had made him smile. “I mean, I wouldn’t even know if you did.” That was a lie, of course, but Asara kept that to herself.

“It’s the principle. You’re in my company, which means I could not take it off. This is the Way.”

“But I would not be able to see your face, and that is the point, is it not?” She questioned, pressing further. “Thirty men could stand here, their backs to you, feet glued to the ground and faces forced forward. Surely you would be able to take it off then? What difference is it that I am facing you, but without sight?” The question made Din think. She did have a point, but then again, why would he need to take it off in front of her? She was a bounty and he was only here to collect her. At that, any form of agreement left his mind and kept his mouth closed. “I suppose it doesn’t matter. It’s not as if you would have a reason.” She said, almost reading his mind.

“You’re right. I don’t.” The distance in his voice made her raise an eyebrow. It made her internally debate as to what had sparked his sudden coldness, a subject which she did not want to press in fear of making him even colder.

The two continued to walk down the same valley for hours, not stopping as the suns began to slowly descend. “The suns. They’re descending aren’t they?” She asked, already knowing the answer due to the slow decline of heat. Din replied with a short confirmation. “The Jawa shouldn’t be far. They may be nomadic but they don’t tend to move fast, they-” Asara cut herself off, halting in her spot. Din only realized when he was a few paces in front of her with no trail.

“What is it?” He asked, watching as she remained still, a growing frown on her face. “I said what is i-”

“Shh,” She interrupted sharply, continuing to listen to something Din could not hear. “Something’s coming.” Her tone sent a chill down Din’s spine, his hand immediately reaching for his gun. “Uncuff me.” She held out her hands to him. “Uncuff me!” She cried more desperately, walking forward until her hands hit the hard metal on his chest. Din caught her wrists in his hands, looking at her in confusion until a low rumble made them both freeze. “Don’t move.” She muttered, eyes wide as she felt the mass move closer towards them, stalking them.

“What is coming, Asara?” It was the first time he had said her name. It was the first time he had said any of his bounty’s name. Despite the present situation, he couldn’t help but enjoy the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. Asara only remained stoic, her hands still pressed to his chest. 

Din could feel the trembles of the ground as whatever it was began to bound towards them at an alarming rate. 


	2. jawa.

A loud roar echoed loudly against the valley walls, making the two even more anxious. “It’s a Krayt dragon,” Asara whispered to him. Din watched out of the corner of his visor as the large mass peered down into the valley at the two of them. “They are the most dangerous things on this planet. If we move it will attack us.” Din squeezed her wrists as a way to tell her he understood. **  
**

“What do we do now?” He asked in just as low a tone.

“Uncuff me.” The seriousness of her tone almost immediately made him comply, but he hesitated. “Can you just trust me? Please?” She pleaded. Din looked into her grey eyes, somehow still conveying her desperateness. He could see no malice, no malcontent. “Mandalorian, uncuff m-” The Krayt seemed to sense their tension and let out a piercing shriek, swooping down into the valley below. Din seemed to snap into action, pushing Asara behind him as he pulled his taser from his back. “That stick isn’t going to cut it.” Asara warned, hands on his shoulder as he walked backwards, the Krayt stalking nearer with a fierce snarl.

“Just stay behind me.” Din hissed through his helmet, standing his ground as best as he could, despite being completely terrified. Never had he stood against such a behemoth; only now did he think that he should have listened to Asara in the first place. The Krayt snapped his jaws, making Din stumble slightly. Thankfully, Asara caught his weight and pushed him back up. The sudden movement made the Krayt snap, lunging towards the two in anger. “Move!” Din yelled, pushing Asara away from him and the dragon and onto the ground. He ignited his taser and jabbed at the Krayt’s snapping jaws, taking it by surprise. For a moment the beast was stunned until it gathered its senses and was taken with an even mightier rage. Din attempted to fight it, swiping with his staff relentlessly at its face and neck. But nothing seemed to work. He felt powerless as the Krayt knocked him onto his back, staring up at its opening jaws as it slowly began to lean down, ready to consume him whole. 

Din held his staff up in a poor attempt to keep the beast's jaws away from him, but knew deep down it was useless. His mind wandered to Asara, his eyes turning away from the dragon and to where he had pushed her to the ground, only to find no trace of her. He closed his eyes as he thought of her fleeing the valley, back to her small hut, back to Claura. For some strange reason, he felt almost at ease at the thought of her escaping. 

Just as he was about to accept his doom, staring into the jaws of Death, the beast paused, eyes wide in fear and confusion as its body stilled, jaws still wide open before Din’s helmet. It let out a fearful screech as its body lifted from the ground and up into the air. Din, as confused as the Krayt, peered down between his legs only to see a silhouette. It was Asara, stood poised behind the dragon, hands freely outstretched before her as she guided it up into the air. The Force, Din thought to himself in wonder, she has the Force. She glared at the beast as she focused on moving it higher until it was far above Din’s helpless body. The Krayt squirmed and wriggled, trying to claw its way out of the invisible grasp which pinned it in its place. With a sharp twist of her wrist, the Krayt’s neck snapped, its body falling lifeless in midair. She gently moved it back down to the ground, away from Din before making her way over to the grounded Mandalorian. 

He took her hand which she offered to him, hoisting him up to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily, still taken aback by what he had just witnessed. “You-” He breathed, looking at her in awe and wonder. “You have the Force.” Asara didn’t bother to reply, instead she walked over to the dead dragon and felt along its hide. “W-What are you doing?” Din asked, making his way over to her.

“These dragons are hunted for their pearls.” She informed, plucking three of them off as she felt their smooth exterior amongst the hard skin. “They’re worth a lot.” Din was still in a state of disarray as she placed the pearls into his gloved hand. “You’ll need these.” She simply said before she began to make her way back down their intended path. 

“Hang on a second.” Din intervened, grabbing her arm to stop her from walking away. “How did you get out of your cuffs? A-And what you did-”

“I broke them, seems as you refused to uncuff me. Which, by the way-” She held up her freed wrists, the cuffs still individually clinging to them. Din sighed before he typed in the correct code on each wrist, undoing them both. The metal clanged to the sandy floor. Asara smiled in gratitude as she rubbed her wrists, unable to see the red ring it had left on her. “There. Now, let’s get moving.” 

“Asara,” He called out to her as she had begun to walk away once more. “You could have left me there. You could have escaped. Why didn’t you?” Asara thought for a moment, looking down at the ground as she did so.

“I don’t know.” She answered honestly, turning her gaze to Din. It felt as if she was looking through his visor and straight into his soul. He couldn’t explain how he felt in that moment, but part of him was beginning to doubt himself and his will to hand her in. He looked down at the pearls she had handed him before tucking them away in his pocket. “Come on, the Jawa are close. I can sense them.” She felt no need to hide her powers now after Din’s near-death experience.

“Are you…” Din began, falling into line with Asara as they began to walk again. “Are you a Jedi?”

“No.” She shook her head. “No, I am not a Jedi. Or a Sith. I’m just Force-Sensitive.” Din accepted her answer, for the time being. Although he felt as if there was more that she wasn’t telling him. A certain disdain that she tried to hide in her words. “I’m not as strong as I used to be. Doing something like that takes a lot out of me.”

“Is that how you knew what I was thinking? And how you know where everything is? Even without-” Din trailed off, motioning to his eyes before realizing how stupid that was. 

“Without seeing? Yeah.” She let out a breathy chuckle at how reluctant he was to ask these things. “I don’t mean to see your thoughts. It just happens sometimes.” Din nodded, again realizing how stupid he was. Asara let out a laugh. “You know I can sense when you move? I can tell when you nod your head or shrug your shoulders. I can sense every movement around me, I just can’t see it.” 

Din let out a breath in what appeared to be relief. At least he didn’t think himself a fool any more. He didn’t know why but he found himself wanting to know more. This woman was an enigma. An enigma who had just saved his life. Not only that, but she could wield the Force. “Is that why there’s a bounty on you? Because you have the Force?”

“Something like that.” She mumbled, shoulders sagging at the thought of the bounty on her head. For some reason, she had momentarily forgotten that this is what he was here for.

“What is it for? Your bounty?” He finally asked the question he had been wanting to ask since last night. 

“So now you’re interested in more than the payment, huh?” Asara teased, making Din smile under his visor. “I pissed them off. The Empire. They took everything from me and I wanted to get back at them. So I…” Asara took in a deep breath. “I killed their weapon. I killed Gallius Rax.” Din raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I know. Not the smartest of ideas, huh? But I was so desperate for some sort of vengeance that I did it without thinking of the consequences.” 

“And they blinded you for that?” He asked cautiously, scared of how tender the matter was to Asara. He found it somewhat funny how much he seemed to care about upsetting her.

“They blinded me for that.” She confirmed, the subject seemingly dropping as the pair fell into silence. Soon they reached a small crater in the side of the valley, the tall mass the Jawas used to move around stood dormant, blending into the darkening sky. “You need to let me do the talking. And don’t draw your weapon. Do that and you can kiss your parts goodbye.” She quickly informed in a low voice as the two approached. 

“Understood.”

“Good.” She nodded her head before she stuck her arm out, making Din halt in his place. “Jawa!” She shouted up at the vehicle, her voice bounding through the canyon. A scuffle could be heard before multiple Jawa poked their heads out of numerous windows. “Eyeta.” She called up, pointing to herself and to Din. “Etee uwanna waa.” The Jawa seemed to argue with each other before a hatch opened near the bottom of the vehicle. A group of the small creatures shuffled out, waddling over to the two cautiously, their weapons raised. “Eyeta,” She repeated calmly. “Ny shootgawa.” The Jawa replied in their tongue but Din could not pick up what they were saying to each other. “Yukusu kenza keena,” She proposed. “Uwanna reve.” The Jawa replied once more and Asara sighed.

“What is it? What are they saying?” Din asked, completely left in the dark. Asara held her hand up as she listened to what the Jawa were continuing to say. “What?”

“They want payment for the ship parts.” She explained.

“But it’s my ship!” Din protested, reaching for his blaster. The Jawa immediately raised their own. Asara gripped Din’s arm, pushing the blaster down as she stood to face him, almost chest to chest.

“The Jawa won’t give it back. They are traders. Fighting with them is pointless, there’s hundreds in there.” She warned, pushing his blaster more forcefully back into his holster. “Now keep your blaster in your pants, bounty hunter.” She said before she turned back to the Jawa. “Mob un loo?” Asara scoffed at their reply, shaking her head. “M’gasha.” The Jawa seemed to argue with Asara, though she remained cool. “Those pearls I gave you, I need one.” She said with her hand outstretched. Din complied, putting it into her hand. He watched as she made her way over to the Jawa until she was a few feet away. She threw the small pearl expertly into the hand of one of the Jawa, causing the group to flood around it as they inspected it. “Uwanna?” The Jawa frantically nodded. “Umka.” She ordered, motioning with her hand for the Jawa to follow her as she began to lead them back the way they came. 

“Now what are we doing?” Din asked in confusion as the vehicle finally started to move behind them. “Did you make a deal or what?”

“I’m working on it.” She dismissed. If the stakes weren’t so high, Din would have chuckled to himself. “The Jawa avoid conflict wherever possible. Killing a Kyrat is something they would never even dream of and we just happen to know the whereabouts of a fresh one.” She grinned, tapping her nose. Din was impressed. “Sabioto!” She shouted, once again stopping as the dragon corpse lay ahead. The Jawa filed out of the hatch again and huddled together. “Etee uwanna waa.” She pointed to the Kyrat which laid on the ground and then back to the vehicle. “Reve, tandi kwa.” The Jawa considered her offer, mumbling to each other before one let out a shrill ‘Keena!’. Asara clapped her hands with a proud smile on her face.

“Did it work?” He asked somewhat hopefully, sick and tired of Tatooine. Asara nodded her head, patting Din’s metal shoulder.

“It worked. You’re welcome, by the way. Usually they’re more stubborn than that.”

“You’ve traded with them before?” He asked quizzically.

“Once or twice.” She said, watching as the Jawa flooded to the Kyrat. “Hey! Kurruzza!” She called, pointing a finger threateningly at the small creature nearest to her. The Jawa nodded its head before rushing back to the vehicle. “They’re going to fix your ship too.” Din nodded in pleasure. “Come on, we can get on the back so we don’t have to walk.” She said, reaching for his shoulder so she could lead him to the vehicle. The two clambered onto the back of the large mass and perched on the edge. The low rumble shook their bodies as the Jawa began to move, having brought the Krayt carcass into the vehicle.

“Why did you help me get my parts back?” Din asked after a few moments of silence. He didn’t look at her, instead watching the sand spit up as the tires began to roll through the canyon.

“No point delaying the inevitable. Besides, you probably would have shot me if I didn’t help you. Regardless of whether you’d get less of a reward.” Even though those words came out of her mouth, she hoped that that would not have been the case. She felt a certain fondness towards the Mandalorian, one which made her situation all the more depressing. Din, ironically, was thinking the same thing. Would he have just shot her and found a way off the planet some other way? He couldn’t even begin to fathom killing the woman who had saved his life with his own hands.

“The Empire, they really want you dead?” Asara chuckled sadly at this, head drooping as she thought of her fate.

“I don’t think they want me dead. Not yet, at least. They’re going to make me pay first.” She lamented sadly. Din felt a twinge in his heart at the thought of her being tortured and found himself hoping her death was short. “I’ve been running too long. It’s not like I have anything to live for anyway.”

Din nodded in understanding, allowing a rather morbid silence fall over them both. Eventually, they arrived at the empty ship and watched as the Jawa began to methodically put each part they had stolen back in its place. “Asara, they’re finished.” Din informed the woman, who had been perched on a boulder away from the Jawa. The woman nodded, inhaling the cool night air one last time before she stood and made her way over to the ship.

“Taa baa.” She said to one of the Jawa who waddled out of the ship. The creature let out a noise in response before it shuffled back to the rest of his kind. Din led her in, a hand on the small of her back. He could almost feel her warmth through his gloves. “It’s quite a nice ship when it’s not completely dismembered.” She commented, making Din smile to himself as the two climbed up to the cockpit. “Spacious.”

“You could say that.” He responded, guiding her to a chair before settling into his own. He flicked multiple switches, the ship blinking awake. It purred as it slowly began to ascend into the sky, reaching the stratosphere in a matter of seconds.

Another morbid silence befell them. Asara sat silently in her chair, upright and staring blankly out the window. Din cast his gaze back to her numerous times, looking at her forlorn expression as they travelled further and further from Tatooine and into the inky void. He didn’t know what to say; didn’t know what he could say to change the situation. For some reason, the closer he drove the ship to the remote hideout the Empire agents inhabited on Corellia, the more conflicted he felt about his decision. Never had he doubted his motives, his decision to collect a bounty. He didn’t care for politics, money was money even if it was coming from the remnants of the Empire. She had committed a crime, but Din couldn’t bring himself to blame her for her actions. He seemed to…empathize with her.

He didn’t know if she could hear his doubts, but her silence told him that she was somewhere else entirely. He looked back to her once more before he made up his mind. “Where are they hiding?” She asked, breaking the silence. 

“Corellia.” Asara laughed at his answer.

“Of all the places. They pick one of the shittiest in the Galaxy. And I’ve lived in the Coruscant Underworld so that’s saying something.” She tried to lighten the atmosphere but her jest was met with more silence. “Mandalorian?” She asked, making Din turn his head slightly in her direction. “What is your name?”

Din inhaled sharply at the question, focusing on his piloting instead of answering. “That’s unimportant.”

“With all due respect, I would like to know the name of my captor.” She backfired. Din remained silent, causing Asara to sigh. “Very well.” He felt somewhat bad at her disappointed tone. The ship shook as he put it into hyperdrive, the white speckles warping as they plunged into space. The journey felt too short as Din entered the atmosphere of the planet, landing his ship in one of the landing bays. The door opened with a hiss shortly thereafter. “This isn’t Corellia…” Asara said in a confused tone, brow furrowed. “It stinks like Coruscant.”

“Go.” He muttered lowly, almost inaudible through his helmet. Asara didn’t respond. “Go.” He said with more force, turning to face her. She looked perplexed, and strangely forlorn. “I’m letting you go, now get out.”

“W-Why are you doing this?” She whispered, shaking her head in confusion. “I’m your bounty, you’re supposed to hand me in to-”

“Just leave. Please.” He pleaded, almost as if he didn’t trust himself, as if he would do something he would regret. Asara stood, Din too. He could only watch, motionless, as she made her way over to him, staring straight through his visor. 

“If they find out what you’ve done…” She trailed off, worry etched into her face. “You’d risk that for me?” She asked, eager for his answer. Eager to know if this was some cruel trick and as soon as she turned her back he would pull his blaster on her.

“Yes.” He replied weakly, looking down at the ground. He didn’t understand why this was so hard. He almost didn’t want to watch her leave. “Now leave.”

Asara inhaled deeply before she placed her hand onto the cool metal of his chest. Din was surprised at her action, looking down at it and then to her face. She seemed conflicted, like she wanted to say more than the two words that came out of her lips; “Thank you.”. She hesitated for a moment, hand still on his chest before she forced herself away. She pulled the hood of her cloak over her head, obscuring her face before she made her way down the ladder. She paused just before she was out of his view, inwardly debating whether she should speak her mind. “You know, it’s funny. For a moment… I felt like maybe there was something I could live for.” And without another word, she dropped down to the bottom floor and made her way into the Underworld.

Din stood alone for what felt like an eternity before he sat back down in his chair and set the coordinates for his next bounty. 


End file.
